This simple to prepare sauce is an essential condiment for curries, and also soups and any egg dish. A few drops in Scrambled Eggs or an Omelette mixture is delicious. Just make sure you beat it in well. It goes very well with any tomato based dish - so I often add a few drops to pasta sauces. The basic recipe is from the hard to find Safari Africa Cookbook by Roger McCay, published in Zambia by Gamefields Press. I have used it for over 10 years since first discovering the recipe. This is not only an essential condiment in the bush for safari cuisine but required in any kitchen! As the pioneer bush chef rightly claims, Tabasco and other similar sauces cannot compete for power and depth of flavour. The choice of glass bottle is important (see below) so as not to dispense too much in one shake! One can make a couple of bottles at once as they make a fine gift to wisely selected friends. The principal ingredient is the small, sun-dried 'Birdseye' chilli pepper, grown around the east coast of Africa. Known in Swahili (East Africa) as 'pili-pili ho ho' a most onomatopoeic and descriptive African name. These are called Miri-Piri in Zimbabwe, and the plants grow easily from seed in subtropical and tropical climes (so should be feasible to gorw one's own in a greenhouse with sufficient light). They are indeed hotter than hell! Be warned! But you can use any sun dried chilli peppers from a spice store. Ask for the hottest in capsucim content!

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Method

Break the chillies up (WARNING wear rubber gloves - these little fire bombs can do you damage!), and half fill a cleaned a 250ml bottle (e.g. Worscestor Sauce, Tabasco or Bitters) which only allow only a drop (or 2) to be shaken out at a time (all that's needed!) You can use any suitable sized bottle, just adjust quantities to half fill it with the crushed up Chilli and garlic. The removable plastic plug with tiny hole in the centre in these bottles allows one to fill the bottle with the ingredients, then replace said plug.

HINT: make a funnel from a sheet of clean A4 paper to pour the chillies into the "reactor-core".

Add the garlic with a teaspoon, banging and shaking the bottle. Then pour in about 20ml vodka or cane spirit, enough to cover the garlic and chilli. Close lid securely and shake vigorously to mix ingredients. Leave this to soak (incubate!) for three days. Shake it again and then top up the bottle with dry sherry.

Although the full flavour in this sauce matures properly after about a month, you can use it immediately. When the liquid at the top of unshaken bottle is nearly finished, top up with more dry sherry. This can be done several times before the chillies lose their power. One can make a couple, and more, bottles in one session as they make a fine gift to wisely selected friends.

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